Rookie running back Dameon Pierce has cooled off for the Houston Texans in recent weeks after a torrid start to his 2022 campaign. At one point this season it appeared that Pierce might lead the league in rushing, but after poor performances in Weeks 11 and 12, Houston’s offense is looking for answers to get him back on track.
Head coach Lovie Smith explained how the Miami Dolphins were able to contain Pierce in his comments to the media on Monday, and told reporters that they went back to the basics to bottle up the Texans’ running game. To Smith, it didn’t seem like rocket science.
“Just great plays by them, but some of it’s pretty basic,” He said. “The running game is about one-on-one blocking up front first. It’s about man-on-man. We’ve done that for the majority of the season. Last couple of weeks, we’ve kind of lost that. We’ve got to get it back. Better technique, better want to, it’s a must as much as anything. We’re not going to abandon the run. Everybody has to still be able to run the football. We just have to do it better.”
In a year where Houston’s quarterback play has been inconsistent, the exceptional ground game they cultivated through the first 10 weeks of the season was a revelation for their offense. Instead of trying to force the ball downfield through the air, the team relied on Pierce to pick up gritty yards on the ground to get the team in scoring position.
One-dimensional attacks are easy to stop, though, so expect the Texans to try to diversify their approach in the coming weeks as they attempt to secure their second win of the season. If they can’t, there will surely be trouble brewing when the team begins its rebuild ahead of the 2023 campaign.
